Simplistic
adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Overly simple.
"At one time, I was extremely skeptical of such simplistic medicine until observing a reflexologist at work and finding that many of the patients showed steady improvement in cases where official medical practitioners had recommended surgery or prescribed the usual quantum of pills. Along with the foot massage, the reflexologist recommended herbal teas to her clients."
- 2 In a manner that simplifies a concept or issue so that its nuance and complexity are lost or important details are overlooked.
"(Mao's) reliance on simplistic Soviet interpretations was reflected in his dismissal of Hitler as "a mere will-less puppet of the reactionary capitalists.""
- 1 characterized by extreme and often misleading simplicity wordnet
Example
More examples"When Einstein said, "Things should be as simple as possible--but no simpler," he meant "Simpler is better--but only to the edge of simplistic.""
Etymology
From simple + -istic.
More for "simplistic"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.